Sadie
Sadie is an American/Canadian/Australian animated series that aired on MTV (later The N), in the US, Teletoon and MTV's Canadian branch in Canada and SBS in Australia. It also aired on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom, Locomotion in Latin America and 2x2 in Russia. The show also received backing from the United Kingdom, through a private production management subsidiary of The Corning/Emerson Group, but it, along with the American company, shared a shell credit. The show is a slice of life dark comedy drama set in a community college-type high school and based around five students of different nationalities, each trying to get by while attesting to their worst flaws and their vitriol toward people they consider to be too mainstream. Plot The series took place in Prospect, a fictional town located in Toronto. It's a small college-town type community that comprises of Prospect Academy, the main setting for most episodes, along with a pizza place where the gang congregate frequently, a grocery store, a movie theatre and a seaport. It was centered on the eponymous Sadie, a British/Australian high school freshman and aspiring writer who wants to make something of her life while getting away from her family. She is aided by her friends, the naive and socially awkward Canadian Ori, the British sociopathic stoner Travis, his often hotheaded American step-brother Jerry and the intelligent African American Flip. The show explored themes of depression, bullying, withdrawal, loneliness and peer pressure. The show featured music from Sunny Day Real Estate, Hum, Filter, Incubus, Morrissey, Chevelle, No Doubt, Blink-182, Red House Painters and American Football. Production The concept for the show stemmed from one of many comic strips produced by Elliot Strange and Waylon Scylles. Sadie was based on "Slabs", which he produced for independent publications. A miniseries was later produced for Channel 4 in 2000 by Scylles, based on the strip. The show was based around five unnamed characters from the original strip, who turned up in the miniseries. Scylles wanted to produce a full-fledged TV series based on the strip, but was turned down. He then turned to Strange who's company was in dire debt. In need of funds, he agreed to produce a show based on the strip, but sought international funding as well. He commissioned the Canadian Nelvana to produce the animation and have it aired on Teletoon. Strange then compiled actors of different nationalities to appeal to the culture clash trope. Strange had the most influence on the project, with Scylles providing assistance from his home in Brighton (namely in getting regional actors and help maintaining loyalty agreements) The show was funded predominately by Canadian outlets, and as a result of this, a majority of the cast is made up of Canadian actors. The main cast was intentionally voiced by much older actors with minor tweaks to make them sound younger. This was done to show how distant they are from the other alumni and to make them stand out. Wanting to focus on using the funding to obtain actors and network deals, the staff opted to use flash animation, and run it through a private website so international backers could easily contact their partners. An idea was pitched where certain actors would appear live and give their experiences in school, normally to segue into the episode in question, but this was rejected. MTV was selected as the show's American network since the network's atmosphere fit the nature of the show. As part of the deal, the show would also air on MTV's Canadian branch and wound up airing in its entirety on there. The show was successful in the United Kingdom and Canada, but failed to make an impact in the United States, lasting for one season only. The producers blamed this on MTV rejecting the show outright due to it not making an impact with viewers quick enough. On The Corning/Emerson Group's forums, the show was met with a warmer reception from American viewers, encouraging the creators to try another network, ultimately going with Noggin's late-night programing block The N since it catered to the same audience as MTV, and it found more success there. The creators believed that they would have to censor the show heavily, but to their surprise, The N allowed them to keep certain elements, such as Travis' weed addition (though cut down slightly to avoid influencing viewers). The only scene that was cut outright was one in the first episode where Ori's nude buttocks were shown briefly. The show ended in 2005, with reruns airing on Nick at Nite since mid-2004 and being moved there exclusively near the end of 2005. The show was taken off the air for good in early 2006 due to The Corning/Emerson Group encountering financial issues that prevented them from making/renewing rerun and syndication deals, as well as accusations of financial mismanagement between them and their co-backers. Characters Main Characters * Sadie Dallow (Morwenna Banks): The eponymous main protagonist. She wanted to enroll in a school based in the US in order to escape from the coddling care of her mother. Sadie is an aspiring writer, is fairly intelligent and is a fantasy nerd (shown through her writings based on mythical creatures, sometimes depicting herself as one.) Sadie is friendly, though she tends to be selfish and ignorant (often willingly) of issues she's out of the loop of. She is also rebellious, reflected through her many piercings, attire and not showering (something she originally did to spite her mother, but stuck with soon after.) She was born to an Australian mother, but was moved to Tyne and Wear after marrying her father. * Ori Yorke (Linda Kash): Sadie's best friend, and the secondary protagonist. Ori is the nicest out of everyone in Sadie's circle though she is somewhat naive, very sensitive and lacking in self-esteem. She loathes fashionistas and is content in wearing the same outfit for weeks on end (which is a sleeveless hoodie and denim jeans). Ori is often the victim of bullying and mockery from high-tier students, thanks to her sensitive nature and falls victim to peer pressure, which Sadie often has to help her through. Ori supposedly inspired a school wide nerd ratio, where her geekiness is determined by the size of her behind (due to the impression that she spends her free time behind her desk on a computer.) She develops a crush on Jerry and it's explored in Squint and Creep. She was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada. * Travis "The Deer Lord" Cubitt (Stephen Merchant): A prominent stoner who lives in the school. His grandfather founded Prospect and as a result, Travis inherited the former's house which he built on the school ground. He has allowed Ori and Sadie to stay in his house after they helped him avoid expulsion in the first episode and built their current friendship. While reckless due to his habit, he is very organized, has an eye for detail and is a decent drawer, even serving as an artist for Sadie on occasion. He earned the nickname The Deer Lord after covering himself in corn and luring a herd of deer into the school. His hair sticks up a lot to symbolize a lack of self-control. He was born and raised in London and has a younger American step-brother. * Jerry Pinkie Cubitt (Glenn Howerton): Travis' younger step-brother, becoming so through Travis' father entering a relationship with his second wife. He's the most logical part of the gang and has spent most of educational life studying abroad until he suffered a mental breakdown and was sent to Prospect to even himself out. He is prone to angry outbursts and emotional fits, which he blames on a horrible childhood and a bad experience with his 1st grade teachers, but he has a good heart. He shares a room with Ori, and the two eventually hook up, with Ori helping him control his temper. He was born in American Fork, Utah. * Flip Gamble (Patrice O'Neal): Originally rented Jerry's room whilst he was away. Adopted into a white family, Flip has been bullied for most of his life because of this and has gone through an identity crisis. He wears a ski-mask, both because he felt ashamed of his current living situation and due to the fact that his parents got him enrolled at Prospect through the affirmative action program and it made him fear that the alumni will view him as inferior. He's highly intelligent, but he tends to use his intelligence for personal gain (usually to help Travis, whom he serves as the latter's go-to for pot), and is also very reserved, rarely communicating with the others. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Other Characters * Hoest Reiner (Norm Spencer): The school's headmaster. He formerly worked at Harvard until he was sent to Prospect to straighten it out after his predecessor broke down. Hoest was bitter at first to work at a much lower school, but gradually grew to accept it because of a lack of pressure. Hoest is apathetic to the alumni, especially Sadie and her camp of friends because of their selfish reasons for going to Prospect. He was once a frequent partier, but he distanced himself from it in order to be taken more seriously. His name is sourced from Bunny Hoest and John Reiner, the writers of The Lockhorns. * Amy (Jenna Von Oÿ): Among the more popular students, but contrary to belief, she's not a mean individual. Rather, she just refuses to associate with those whom she deems to be beneath her, yet she still often attacks Ori and Sadie. She judges people via experiences with similar individuals and through their appearance. In the first episode, it's implied that she needs to wear glasses, but she only wears them for special circumstances. Sadie depicts Amy as a villain in her writings, portraying her as a werewolf and ogre to represent Amy's inner ugliness. * Eve (Jennifer Hale): Amy's supposed best friend who frequently defends her when someone questions Amy's authority. She is very gullible and would do anything if someone more popular than her told her to. It's revealed in A Keeper that not even Amy likes her. * Dell Higgins Dallow (Beverly Dunn): Sadie's over-protective mother. Dell has kept Sadie sheltered throughout her child and teen years. She blames her clinginess on a lack of communication with her own mother, until it's revealed that her mother was the same as she was. Dell never punished nor disciplined her daughter, who learned right from wrong from television. Dell's coddling is not done out of genuine love and care, but out of complete incompetence. She also tries to make Sadie act like nothing is wrong with the world. Dell seems to live in her own world and is oblivious to obvious problems. * Syd Dallow (Neil Morrissey): Sadie's father. He seemed to care just as little for Sadie, though he was more honest about it. Since then it has been implied that he was sorrowful for not caring for Sadie when he did and in situations where Dell and Sadie are arguing, he takes to the latter's side. * Tan Dallow (Kate McLennan): Sadie's younger sister. She and Sadie used to be very close, but after Tan developed a talent for lacrosse, she was favored over Sadie for many years. The two grew apart and Sadie blames her for the turmoil she faces today. She played a major role in "Revenge of the Sis" where Sadie still held a grudge against Tan and believed that she would treat her to the same turmoil she encountered years ago, but was surprised to learn that Tan missed her and wanted to fix their bond. The two later made up and Tan promised to mess with Dell for her. Episodes Reception The show received favorable reviews from critics and viewers. Praise went toward the stylish animation, diverse cast and realistic writing. However, the show only found consistent success internationally. In the US, the show hopped between two networks. MTV cancelled the show after its first season, but found better luck on The N where the remainder of the series aired. Video Game A java adventure game based on the show was released for mobile phones, published and developed by Fathammer and RedLynx. You play as Sadie, setting out to look for her friends during an on campus riot and then setting out to attend an end of the school year party. DVD Release Due to the show's licenses on the songs used throughout the series expiring, as well as ownership disputes between backers, the show was unable to see a release on DVD. However, The Corning/Emerson Group's parent company, Cal Clarion, did release the show on DVD in 2014, but they were heavily edited, replacing the music and end credits. Complaints by fans of the series led to the DVD going out of print.